


Like a House on Fire

by cywscross



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Drabble, Firefighter Stiles, Gen, M/M, Older Stiles Stilinski, Pre-Slash, Stiles Stilinski Saves The Hales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 06:59:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cywscross/pseuds/cywscross
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is one of the first on site for the Hale fire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like a House on Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This is so fucking pointless. And short. Whatever.

 

Stiles is one of the first on site for the Hale fire, and it’s reckless and crazy and borderline suicidal but when he sees his colleagues struggling to hold back the only three Hales who aren’t currently burning alive in the house – a boy not even out of his teens, a young woman barely that, and a man around Stiles’ own age, the former two sobbing, the latter wild-eyed and screaming and trying to pull free and run back into the burning building – Stiles makes the split-second decision to go in himself despite the flames that threaten to be too much even for Beacon Hills’ fire department.

It’s reckless and crazy and borderline suicidal, but  _he does it_. He saves both the children and the adults, kicks down one crumbling wall to do it, and even loses his face mask sometime between half the upper floor coming down on his head and throwing himself on top of one of the tearful children to protect them from the rain of blackened wood and flames, but he drags and pushes and carries the Hales to freedom, and Scott and Isaac are suddenly there to take the last girl that Stiles passes to them just before the smoke becomes too much for his lungs and he collapses. The last few moments he’s aware of before he passes out completely consist of Isaac calling him an idiot while hauling him to safety, Scott shouting for the paramedics in the background, and the entire Hale house folding in on itself with a splintering groan as the fire swallows the entire building whole.

When he wakes up, Stiles is in the hospital, alone. No doubt, Scott and Isaac are at work, though the paragraph-long rant written in each of the get-well cards on his bedside table is more than enough to inform Stiles about how worried his friends have been.

Melissa is the first to personally chew him out after giving him a hug. She tells him that the smoke inhalation won’t leave any long-lasting damage but that a few of the burns he received will probably scar.

Then she tells him what he wants to hear most – “You saved the Hales. They’re all okay; no injuries beyond a few cuts and bruises. You saved them.”

Fires don’t always end like this. Tragedies happen. Stiles should know; his own father never came home after one emergency proved to be too much for the man.

But not this time, and Stiles doesn’t say it out loud but he hopes in his heart that his dad is proud of him.

 

* * *

 

He thinks that’s the end of it. Another day, another fire, another family saved. Stiles can rest easy knowing that there will be one less family mourning for their own, tears and grief and a new row of graves, everything he’s seen before and knows he’ll see again even though he always wishes he won’t have to.

But then, two days after he wakes up, Stiles gets a visitor. It only takes him a moment to recognize the man who steps into his room with a bouquet of flowers in hand.

“I’m Peter Hale,” The man introduces himself, the corners of his eyes crinkling when he smiles, and there is a wealth of gratitude in his expression when there was only terror and anguish and panic before. “You saved my family. I came to thank you. I- There’s nothing I can do to repay you for that. Just...  _Thank you_.”

Stiles will never get tired of seeing the sheer relief and raw happiness that can only ever come from experiencing too close a shave to losing everything important in the world, only to be able to keep it at the very last second. Peter’s wearing it now, and it is beautiful.

“Stiles,” Stiles offers, holding out a hand to shake Peter’s. “I was just doing my job. I’m glad you’re all okay.”

Peter’s smile widens a touch, and his blue gaze grows even more intent on Stiles, never wavering. His grip lingers in the handshake, not letting Stiles go for a few seconds longer than strictly necessary.

“A pleasure to meet you, job or no,” Peter tells him when he finally releases Stiles’ hand. He takes a seat in the chair at Stiles’ bedside and settles down in a way that says he’ll be sticking around for a while.

They strike up a conversation. Stiles is a bit confused because he’s had people thank him before, and at the hospital even, but they don’t usually stay so long. Peter makes him laugh though before visiting hours are over, and when the man gets up to leave, Stiles is disappointed to see him go.

But then Peter says, “Thank you again, for everything. I’ll come by again tomorrow, if that’s alright?”

Stiles is surprised enough to murmur an agreement without really thinking about it, and Peter smiles again before he leaves.

He comes back the next day, as promised. He brings one of his nieces and one of his nephews with him this time, the two who also weren’t in the house during the fire. Laura gives him a hug like they’re old friends. Derek doesn’t cry but he looks close to it when he thanks Stiles more than once, eyes haunted. There’s a story there, an open wound recently ripped open, but Stiles doesn’t know any of them enough to ask, so he doesn’t.

Peter returns the day after that, this time with his sister. Talia thanks him too, eyes warm and kind and grateful, and she tells him he’s welcome amongst their family anytime, and that if there’s anything she can do for him, anything at all, he only has to ask.

The stream of Hales keep coming, sometimes for repeat visits, but Peter’s the one who comes every day. It’s weird, or weird _er_ , since the continual visits from the other Hales are weird enough, but Stiles can’t say he doesn’t enjoy their presence, all of them seem to honestly like him, spending time with him not just because he saved them and they feel obliged, and Peter has taken to sneaking in coffee and scones for him and bringing him books so they can argue over the plot, and that never fails to brighten Stiles’ day.

 

* * *

 

(In-between, Scott comes in looking grim once, and he tells Stiles that the Hale fire was apparently not an accident, that a woman named Kate Argent was a pyromaniac and a serial killer who targeted families, and she seduced one of the Hales to get close enough to learn all the exits of the house and when most of the family would be inside that day. Kate hasn’t been caught yet – having gone on the run – but it’s only a matter of time.

The next time Stiles sees Derek, he doesn’t bring up the Argent issue, doesn’t force Derek to talk about it, but he gives the boy a long hug all the same, simple comfort without the pressure of  _how do you feel_  and  _it’s not your fault_ , and Derek seems to understand because he clutches at Stiles just as tightly.

The visit after that, when it’s just Peter again, the man tells him that Derek’s finally agreed to go to therapy.

He presses a kiss to Stiles’ knuckles like some seventeenth-century gentleman at court before he takes his leave that day, smugly pleased at how red in the face Stiles becomes.

Stiles is too stunned to yell at him before the man is out the door, and then he has to splutter out an indignant squawk of _absolutely not_ when Melissa walks in, takes one critical look at him, and asks if Peter finally made his move.

That was _not_ a _move_ , damn it.)

 

* * *

 

The morning Stiles is finally given the all-clear by Melissa and released from the hospital ( _”But bed rest, Stiles.”_ ), Scott and Isaac are both at work so Stiles expects to cart himself home. The Hales already know he’s checking out today so they won’t visit anymore, something Stiles will miss but he can’t say he isn’t happy to be going home at last either.

He’s dressed and ready to go when Peter sweeps in with coffee and scones and an innocent smile that Stiles has totally learned not to trust.

“I’ll give you a ride home,” Peter announces magnanimously.

He does. He didn’t specify which home though, and Stiles quickly finds himself whisked off to one of the Hales’ five guest cottages on the Preserve where the entire family is staying until the main house is rebuilt.

“Peter,” Stiles sighs, long-suffering around a mouthful of lemon scone.

Peter smirks then, eyes glinting mischievously. “I made lunch. And I have every episode of Leverage on Netflix.” His smirk softens into a smile. “You probably shouldn't be alone before you're completely healed anyway, right?”

Stiles rolls his eyes and hides an answering smile behind his coffee. “Yeah, fine. Manipulative bastard.”

Peter grins unrepentantly and leads him inside. Stiles can’t bring himself to mind one jot.

 

**Author's Note:**

> **Please leave a review on your way out.**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Like a House on Fire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4069072) by [Agertu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agertu/pseuds/Agertu)




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